3
15:34
RB starts offensively, takes control of the game in the first few minutes and registers in front of the Wolves penalty area, but that’s not more than a shy “hello”.
1
15:31
The game is on – Daniel Siebert takes the whistle for the first time.
15:10
The game will be led by Daniel Siebert with his two assistants Lasse Koslowski and Norbert Grudzinski on the sidelines. Sören Störks is responsible as VAR.
14:58
With regard to the negative run of the wolves and their current crisis, RB coach Tedesco warned of today’s opponent: “I rate the style of play and the squad at Wolfsburg,” said the 36-year-old, pointing out that “Wolfsburg also shouldn’t be underestimated.”
14:55
Florian Kohfeldt makes only one change after the 0-0 win against Hertha: Steffen has to sit out with a yellow card, Vranckx plays for it from the start.
14:54
The wolves are no longer represented in the cup, unlike RB. Because Tedesco’s team only played during the week, he gave three players from Wednesday a break: Adams, Klostermann and Poulsen are on the bench, while Laimer, Hugo Novoa and André Silva get a starting XI.
14:53
Today’s opponent is only partially right. In the last five matches, the Saxons could not win against Wolfsburg (4 draws, 1 win for VfL), but Leipzig is slowly getting going after a weak start to the season and shines especially at home. RB scored 21 points in the Red Bull Arena, with a goal difference of 29:13 – only Bayern and BVB are better in their own fortress. Overall, the balance of the two teams in the league is quite balanced, with three wins and five draws. In the cup, however, both teams have already met five times, four of which RB won.
14:45
In contrast, the Wolfsburg have been in a rock-solid crisis for months after the promising start to the Bundesliga. The Lower Saxony have been waiting for a win for ten competitive games, the last one was on November 6, 2021 (1-0 against Augsburg). In the meantime, there have even been eight defeats in a row across all competitions, the 0-0 win against Hertha BSC last weekend can almost be described as a “ray of hope”. With this negative series, Wolfsburg have blossomed from potential Champions League candidates to relegation candidates and are just two points ahead of the red zone. The wolves absolutely need a win again, both for the table situation and for their own self-confidence.
14:41
Before the Bundesliga says goodbye to a two-week break, the matchday still has to be brought to an end. Afterwards, Bayern are also challenged against Hertha and have to counter BVB’s victory. First of all, the people of Leipzig also want to benefit indirectly from the BVB victory, because because Hoffenheim lost as a result, sixth place and the connection to the European places are within reach. And RB has had a perfect start to the new year so far, clinching two victories in the Bundesliga – 4-1 against Mainz and 2-0 at Stuttgart – and during the week the team reached the quarter-finals of the DFB Pokal.
Hello and welcome to the penultimate game on matchday 20 of the Bundesliga. RB Leipzig meets troubled VfL Wolfsburg at 3:30 p.m.